Articles
Local-knowledge explainers with sources — handy prep for the quizzes.
Kyoto
Kyoto articles ›- 8 Hard-to-Read Kyoto Place Names Why Kyoto reads 太秦 as Uzumasa, 先斗町 as Pontochō and 一口 as Imoarai: eight baffling place names, their readings and origins explained.
- Kyoto's Three Great Festivals & the Gozan no Okuribi Kyoto's three great festivals — Aoi, Gion, and Jidai Matsuri — plus the Gozan no Okuribi bonfires: when, where, and why each began.
- Kyō-yasai basics and key items Kamo eggplant, Kujō leek and more: a guide to kyō-yasai, from Kyoto's official definitions to each item's traits and origins.
- Kyoto Street Names and the Grid Why are Kyoto addresses so long? Learn the grid, the "Maru-Take-Ebisu" street-name song, and the agaru/sagaru direction system.
- Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (World Heritage) Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto: 17 sites incl. Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku, Ginkaku and Nijō-jō, listed in 1994 across Kyoto, Uji and Ōtsu.